Franklin Delano Roosevelt by Russell Freedman

Franklin Delano Roosevelt by Russell Freedman (2 BK) #1 and #2

Freedman, Russell. (1990). Franklin delano roosevelt. New York: Clarion.

Grade Level: High School

Author’s Credibility: Russell Freedman is a well-known author who has written many children’s books. He has won many notable awards for this book (ALA, YASD, NCTE Orbis Pictus Award, Golden Kite Honor, Notable Children’s Trade Book in Social Studies, Horn Book). He is a non-fictional writer who likes to write events in history.

Summary: Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a book about one of the presidents of the United States. It discussed the life of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt from his birth, through his political life, and his death. It began with Franklin being born to parents that were already very rich and how all the privileges of being rich can put you in the right places at the right time.

Franklin’s parents loved him and he loved being with his parents. Franklin’s father loved him so much that he had problems disciplining him. His mother became the dominating and disciplinarian person in his life, which she eventually would use during his married life.

Freedman easily moved the reader into Roosevelt’s school and college life, where he was a fast and energetic learner. He loved writing, studying about boats and ships, and studying law. In college, he met his fifth cousin, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, who later became his wife. Eleanor was too kind for Franklin’s family and he and his mother took advantage of her kindness and pushed her into the background of his personal and political career. Eventually, she would become a strong independent woman and Franklin began valuing her opinions.

Freedman also demonstrated how quickly Roosevelt’s political live evolved and how abruptly it ended. Roosevelt did not linger around when it came to making decisions. If he thought it would work, he made a decision. He started so many programs (New Deal) during his administration that people began to believe that he did not know what he was doing. He developed bank regulations, insurance, social, security, and other programs that would benefit the poor people. Franklin, being rich, did not understand the struggles of the poor man until he was stricken with polio. Then, he understood how people depended upon each other.

Franklin’s life ended in Warm Springs (1945) where he enjoyed spending most of his time and doing what he loved doing: working for the people of the United States.

Standards: American and World History (presidents, Great Depression, WWII, Pearl Harbor, Big Three)

Illustrations: Freedman used pictures and photographs to make the text more meaningful. He used large, black and white photographs that showed a clear picture of special events during his life. There was text under each picture that made it easy for young readers to read and understand. The pictures and photographs were from Bettmann Archive, Library of Congress, National Archives, and Wide World Photos. The photographs were also given acknowledgement in the back of the book.

Access Features: Access features are used to help the reader easily understand the ideas and concepts in the book. The access features used in this book were illustrations, photographs, table of contents, index, acknowledgment and picture credits, suggested books, FDR photo album, and places to visit.

Use in Classroom: This would be a good supplementary resource for American and World History class for middle or high school. It is too high for my second grade students. I would use it with the unit on presidents.

My Response: I am glad that I read this book because I found out a couple of things about FDR that I did not know. I have always thought that he could not walk because of the polio. But, he could with the help of braces.

I did not know that he was elected for a fourth term. I thought that presidents could only be elected for two terms. I found out that the law was changed after his administration.

I hated that Eleanor let Franklin’s mother rule everything. I wanted Eleanor to tell his mother where she could go! She just let her ruled too much: hiring the nannies, telling her to quit her job, and connecting their homes. I guess, “money rules”.

One question: After the affair with Lucy, did Eleanor and Franklin ever become lovers again? Or did she just play the “wife beside her husband” deal?

Suggested Books: Here is a partial listing of some of the books included in the back of book:
Devine, Robert A. Roosevelt and World War II
Freidel, Frank B. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Leuchtenburg, William E. Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal
Miller, Nathan. FDR: An Intimate History
Morgan, Ted. FDR: A Biography
Ward, Geoffrey C. Before the Trumpet: Young Franklin Roosevelt